Pups & The Serial Killer
by Elias Vincent
Summary: Elias is kidnapped by a child predator & serial killer who locks him away in a house far away from Adventure Bay. Elias is subjected to sexual abuse on a daily basis & is kept in the house with a bomb collar that prevents him from escaping. Can Elias find a way to escape & will he ever see his family & friends again?
1. Chapter 1

**PUPS & THE SERIAL KILLER **

**I DON'T OWN PAW PATROL ONLY MY OCS**

It was a warm Wednesday evening. Angel & Elias were walking home from the Lookout. The sunset was beautiful & scenic. It had been a relatively nice day for everyone in town which was saying a lot as the last week & a half had been filled with tragedy. Not 1 person could've predicted what was about to happen.

"Today was such a lovely day. I hope that things stay like this for a while" said Elias.

"I couldn't agree more with that. Hopefully things will get better with each & every passing day. I just want to be able to enjoy some time where nothing bad happens" said Angel.

All of a sudden a white car pulled up beside the 2 of them. The only occupant was a man who looked around 30 years old with dark hair & a little bit of facial hair. He was wearing sunglasses, a black coat, jeans & white sneaker shoes.

"Excuse me can you please help me? I don't know where I am & I need directions to get somewhere" said the man.

"Where do you need to go?" asked Elias.

"I'm trying to find the way to the next town. I'm not sure which way to go" said the man as he gave Elias a map. As Elias was studying the map the man grabbed an aerosol can & sprayed it at Angel & Elias.

"HEY WHAT ARE YOU DOING?" yelled Elias.

The man continued to spray the chemical substance at Angel & Elias. In a matter of seconds both of them were unconscious. The man got out of his car, removed Elias' bag from his back & put Elias in the back of his car. Other than Angel there were no witnesses to what had just happened. 2 hours later Angel regained consciousness. When she saw that Elias, the car & the man were gone she panicked & began to call out for Elias.

"ELIAS" yelled Angel.

No response.

"ELIAS WHERE ARE YOU?" yelled Angel.

Still no reply.

EEEEEEEEEEEEELIASSSSSSSSSSSSSS" yelled Angel.

Once again there was no reply. Angel grabbed Elias' school bag in her mouth & dragged it home. Ella & Ethan were in the kitchen wondering why Angel & Elias were taking so long to get home when they heard Angel at the front door. Angel walked inside & dumped Elias' bag near the dining room table.

"Angel where's Elias?" asked Ella.

"I don't know. We were walking home when some guy pulled up beside us in his car & asked us for directions but then he sprayed us with some kind of sedative & rendered us both unconscious. When I came to Elias, the car & the man were gone. I don't think anyone else saw what happened, I didn't recognise the man & I didn't see the car's number plates. All I saw of the man was his head. He had short dark hair, a little bit of facial hair & sunglasses. His voice didn't sound familiar. The car was white & the model looked similar to a commodore. That's all I can recall about what happened. I don't know where they've gone" said Angel.

Ella & Ethan were horrified. They tried calling Elias on his phone earlier but he didn't answer. Knowing that something was wrong Ella called for Ryder. Ryder was playing on his Pup Pad when the call came in.

"Hello Ryder here" said Ryder.

"Ryder you have to help us. Elias has gone missing. According to Angel they were approached by a man in a white commodore & sedated with some type of chemical. The man put Elias in his car & drove off. We don't know where he is & he isn't answering his phone. You have to find him please" said Ella.

"Don't worry we'll find Elias. No job is too big & no pup is too small" said Ryder as he summoned the pups.

"PAW Patrol to the Lookout" said Ryder.

"Ryder needs us" said the pups as they rushed towards the elevator. Marshall tripped over a squeaky toy & crashed into the other pups.

"Sorry guys. Squeak" said Marshall.

The pups laughed as they got into their gear & awaited instruction.

"PAW Patrol ready for action Ryder sir" said Chase.

"Thanks for coming pups. This is urgent. Elias has supposedly been kidnapped & his parents can't get through to him. His abductor was driving a white commodore & sedated Angel & Elias before driving off with Elias in the back seat. We have to find that commodore & make sure Elias is alright" said Ryder as he clicked Chase's icon.

"Chase I need you to use your spy gear to locate the commodore" said Ryder.

"Chase is on the case" said Chase.

"Marshall I need you to wait here with your medical gear in case Elias is hurt" said Ryder as he clicked Marshall's icon.

"I'm fired up" said Marshall.

"Skye I need you to do an air search to see if you can spot the commodore from the air" said Ryder as he clicked Skye's icon.

"Let's take to the sky" said Skye.

"Alright PAW Patrol is on a roll" said Ryder as he slid down the fireman pole. Chase, Marshall & Skye deployed in their vehicles & spread out. Ryder went to Elias' house to talk to Angel, Ella & Ethan.

"Hey guys. The PAW Patrol is out looking for Elias now. What did this man look like Angel?" asked Ryder.

"I only saw his head. He had dark hair, a little bit of facial hair & sunglasses. I didn't see the car's number plates, the man's appearance & voice didn't look or sound familiar & I don't know if anyone else saw what happened" said Angel.

"We should call everyone in town we know & ask them if they saw anything relating to the incident" said Ella.

"Good idea. Hopefully we'll be able to get more information about this" said Ethan.

Angel, Ella, Ethan & Ryder called everyone in town. 1 by 1 they asked if they had seen anything relating to the incident. Unfortunately not 1 person was able to give any information about the abduction.

"This isn't good. Elias might not be in Adventure Bay anymore" said Ella.

"Don't worry we'll find him. It might not be tonight but I know we'll find him" said Ryder.

"I hope so. In the last 3 months there have been 12 other kids who have mysteriously vanished. None of these kids have been heard from or seen since their disappearances. Maybe all of these disappearances are linked together somehow" said Ethan.

"Maybe they are but for now we're going to focus on finding Elias" said Ryder.

Chase had deployed his drone & was flying it around the Adventure Bay area. Despite his best efforts Chase didn't find any trace of Elias, the man or the car.

" _There's a chance they're not even in Adventure Bay anymore. I hope nothing bad has happened to Elias"_ thought Chase.

Skye was flying around trying to see if she could find Elias, the car or the man. Unfortunately her search turned up completely empty.

" _I can't see any trace of them. I wonder where they could've gone"_ thought Skye.

After about an hour of searching Ryder told Chase & Skye to return to the Lookout. It was getting late & Ryder felt it would be easier to continue the search the next morning.

"We haven't found Elias, the car or the man. We'll try again tomorrow. I know it's hard to accept this but there isn't much else we can do right now. I can reassure you that we will find him. We're not going to give up until he's found" said Ryder as he returned to the Lookout. Angel, Ella & Ethan were all devastated. They decided to go to bed & let the search continue the next day. Chase, Ryder & Skye returned to the Lookout.

"Did you find him?" asked Marshall.

"No we didn't. We didn't any trace of Elias, the car or the man. We'll continue the search tomorrow & get all the pups to join the search. We're not going to stop the search until we find him. I don't care how long it takes. We're not giving up on our friend" said Ryder.

The pups were devastated. None of them had ever experienced an abduction before. All of them were concerned for Elias' safety & wellbeing. They all decided to go to bed & get some rest so that they would be ready to continue the search the next morning.

In a distant location inside a supposedly abandoned house Elias regained consciousness. He was lying on a mattress on the floor of a room that was otherwise empty. The light was on & the windows were boarded shut prevent any light from the outside from getting in. Elias got up & walked over to the door. He tried to open it but it wouldn't budge. He ran over to the window & started banging on it hoping to get someone's attention.

"HELP. SOMEBODY PLEASE HELP" yelled Elias.

"Nobody can hear you. Nobody other than me knows that you're here" said the man as he entered the room.

"Where are we? What have you done with Angel? Where's my bag?" asked Elias.

"You're in a place where nobody can hear you call for help. Whoever Angel is she's not here. Your bag isn't here either" said the man.

Elias then noticed a collar around his neck.

"What's this around my neck?" asked Elias.

"That's a bomb collar. If I were you I wouldn't bother trying to escape. If you move any further than 10 yards away from this house in any direction or if you try to remove the collar without the key the bomb will detonate & your head will be blown off" said the man.

"I'm guessing you've got the key?" asked Elias.

"Yes I do. Doesn't mean I'm letting you go. Here's the key & here's where it stays" said the man as he pulled a lace with a key threaded on it out of his pocket & put it around his neck. Elias thought for a split second about grabbing the key & making a run for it but he knew there was no way he could overpower the man.

"Now that we've sorted that out let's get down to business. I want you to pull your pants down right now" said the man.

"Excuse me?" asked Elias.

"You heard me" said the man.

"I'm not doing it. There's no way I'm pulling my pants down" said Elias.

"You're going to do as I say or else" said the man as he pulled a gun from his pocket. Elias thought at 1ST that it was just a bluff.

"I don't think there are any bullets in that thing. You're just bluffing me" said Elias.

The man pointed the gun at the wall & fired a shot. Elias quickly realised that the gun was loaded & that the man could easily kill him with it instantly.

"Does that answer your question? Pull your pants down now or the next bullet goes through your brain" said the man as he pointed the gun at Elias' head. Elias knew that he couldn't do anything to avoid the situation. He pulled his pants down as he was told. The man forced Elias onto the mattress facing belly down. After securing him on the mattress the man pulled his own pants down & had his way with Elias. Elias felt so ashamed. He knew that what the man was doing to him was illegal but he was helpless to do anything about it. After the man was finished he made Elias switch positions with him so that now Elias would be forced to have his way with the man. Elias didn't try to stop it as he knew that he would be killed otherwise. After the man was satisfied he put his pants back on & left the room locking the door behind him. After Elias put his pants back on he curled up in a foetal position on the mattress & cried. He had never felt so violated in his whole life. He didn't know how long the whole ordeal would last & he didn't know whether he would survive or not.

" _This has to be the worst thing that has ever happened to me. It's bad enough that I've already had to deal with a school shooting & a chemical fire. This is so much worse. I could die if I don't do anything but I have no idea how to get myself out of this. I don't even know where I am. I'm probably miles away from everyone back in Adventure Bay. I might never see them again. I hope I can find a way to survive this. It could be a matter of life or death. I need to think of something fast or I'll be taken away from my family & friends forever"_ thought Elias as he cried himself to sleep.


	2. Chapter 2: The Search Continues

The sun rose on Thursday morning. Angel, Ella & Ethan were all concerned. It had been over 12 hours since Elias was last seen & they had no idea where he was. All they could do was hope that he was alright. After Ryder woke up that morning he got all of the pups to go out & look for Elias. Each of the pups were sent to different locations around town & in other places Elias would've visited in the past. At school that morning Ryder notified the principal of Elias' absence. The principal subsequently let Elias' teachers know about what was going on as well. Everyone in school was deeply upset. In the space of 1 ½ weeks they had experienced a school shooting, a chemical fire & now an abduction. Everyone prayed for Elias to be OK. At lunch time Ryder was asked about current events.

"How are things going with the search for Elias?" asked Ace.

"We still haven't got any leads. All the pups are out searching for Elias as we speak. We don't have any idea where he could be but we aren't going to give up until we find him" said Ryder.

"Just as long as he's OK things should be alright" said Carlos.

"Let's just hope he's not dead. We don't need any more people in this town dying as of the moment. I don't know how anyone would be able to cope with it" said Danny.

"Let's not forget that there are other kids who have also gone missing as well. None of those kids have been found yet either. Who knows how long it will be before they get found" said Katie.

Angel, Ella & Ethan had gone out to see if they could find anything that would lead them to Elias. Unfortunately they couldn't find anything. As time went by they became more & more concerned. After a few hours of driving around town asking for information & looking for leads they went home.

"I hope they find him soon. All this waiting is leaving me on edge" said Ella.

"I feel the same. Unfortunately there isn't much we can do. The only thing we can do know is pray that Elias is safe & that he's still alive" said Ethan.

Angel had locked herself in her pup house. She spent most of the day crying for her best friend.

" _I just want Elias back. I might never see him again. If only I knew where he was. This search isn't going very well so far & we don't have much to go on. Please be OK Elias"_ thought Angel as she continued sobbing.

Chase had been sent out to the woods near the camping grounds. He was flying his drone around trying to find Elias. He spent hours looking for him. In the end his search turned up nothing. There was no trace of Elias anywhere.

" _This isn't good. Elias isn't anywhere near here. I've searched for hours & I've come no closer to finding him. I wonder if the other pups are having any luck"_ thought Chase.

In the house that Elias was being held at the man had left a bucket & some food & water for Elias in the room he was locked in. After he had done so he locked the room again & left the house leaving Elias all alone.

" _I wonder where he's going. His absence is both good & bad. It's bad because it means I can't leave the house since he still has the key with him but it's good because it means that he can't do anything to me in any way. Just as long as I keep thinking I'll be able to find a way out"_ thought Elias.

Elias ate the food on the plate he had been given & drank the water in 1 gulp. It was the 1ST time he had been fed since the ordeal began. He figured that the bucket was for him to relieve himself in. Elias considered trying to break the boards on the windows to see where he was but he ultimately decided against it because he knew his captor would likely punish him if he did anything to try & escape. Elias spent most of the day pacing around the room, lying on the mattress & thinking about ways to escape. Another problem was that Elias had no way of telling the time so he didn't know if it was day or night. He hoped that someone would find him soon.

" _I wonder where the nearest town is from here. If I can escape maybe I could find the way to a police station & hopefully get this guy locked up behind bars. In order to do that I need to know exactly where I am & right now there's nothing I can do that can help me"_ thought Elias.

The man eventually returned & almost immediately went into the room Elias was locked up in & once again had his way with him. Elias reluctantly obliged. It was still a horrifying ordeal but he knew that he couldn't do anything to stop it. After the man was finished he left the room & locked the door. Elias was shaken up from the experience but not as much as the previous day. Back in Adventure Bay the search for Elias continued. It wasn't just the PAW Patrol who were out looking for Elias. Almost everyone in town who was available helped. As night fell the search was postponed until the next day. Everyone was becoming frustrated. None of them could understand how there were almost no leads regarding Elias' location. Ella & Ethan were more frustrated than anyone. They prayed that their only child was alright & that they would find him alive. Angel was also distraught over the current situation. As she drifted off to sleep she prayed for Elias.

" _Elias wherever you are please be OK. I would do anything to see you again. Just come home. Adventure Bay isn't the same without you"_ thought Angel as she fell asleep with tears in her eyes.


	3. Chapter 3: The Appeals Begin

The sun rose on Friday morning. The pups were deployed as soon as Ryder woke up. It was the 3RD day of the search & rescue operation to find Elias. There hadn't been any major leads as to his location & not 1 person knew where he was. By this point his disappearance had become major news not just across the US but the entire world. Many people were frustrated because of the lack of information & the inability to do much more than they were already doing. At school that day the students were beginning to wonder if Elias was still alive as in many prior missing child cases the missing child almost always turns up dead after the 1ST 48 hours. Despite this Ryder insisted that Elias was still alive as it hadn't been proven that he was dead. At lunch that day the kids discussed their hopes to find Elias safe & sound.

"I hope Elias is OK wherever he is. Hopefully we find him soon" said Ace.

"I'm sure Tracker will find something that leads to where he's being kept. That is his expertise after all" said Carlos.

"Even so we don't have any major leads of any kind & the person who took him hasn't been publicly identified. I just pray that this search is successful" said Danny.

"I think it's made worse by the fact that 12 other kids from across the country have been reported missing over the last 3 months & none of them have been seen or heard from since. We can only hope that all of them are OK" said Katie.

"I know we'll find Elias sooner or later. I'm not going to stop looking for him until we find him. I just want him back. Seeing him again will be so satisfying. I know he's out there somewhere & I know he's probably trying to find a way to escape the situation he's stuck in" said Ryder.

The pups spent all day trying to find Elias. Everest & Jake went out to the icy tundra where Everest once lived to see if there was any chance of Elias being there at all. Unfortunately they couldn't find a trace of him there anywhere.

"It doesn't seem like he's been here at all. He must be somewhere else" said Everest.

"I don't think he would've been brought here anyways. Who would keep a child in captivity out here in the middle of nowhere with no food or shelter of any kind? It doesn't make sense. At least we tried & that's all that matters" said Jake.

" _I really want to see Elias again. Everyone in town does. He has to be out there somewhere & wherever he actually is must be sustainable"_ thought Everest.

Marshall had travelled to the desert to see if Elias had been there. Despite his efforts Marshall found no trace of Elias anywhere.

" _It's like he just vanished off the face of the earth. How could he have gone missing & not have any kind of trace of him left anywhere? This is the most bizarre mission I've ever seen"_ thought Marshall.

In the secluded house Elias had once again been left alone in the house. Unlike the previous 2 days however his captor didn't lock the door to the room Elias was being held in. This allowed Elias to move around the house freely. He didn't bother going outside as he felt that he would be risking his life with the bomb collar around his neck. The house itself was pretty ordinary. Other than the fact that all of the windows in the house were boarded up nothing was weird about the house. Elias had a shower as soon as he found the bathroom which was the 1ST time in 2 days he had the chance to clean himself. After he had finished his shower he got something to eat from the kitchen. While he was eating he considered killing his captor in an ambush but decided against it as he felt that it wouldn't work out very well. In the lounge room he found a TV. Unfortunately the only thing that worked with it was a DVD player. There was also a computer but there was no internet access. Suddenly Elias remembered that his phone was in his pocket. When he took it out he found that there was no signal on it meaning he couldn't contact anybody.

" _Go figure. This guy clearly wants to make sure I don't contact anybody in any way. It looks like I'll have to find my own way out of here. I still have no idea how to do it though. I know I'm probably running out of time so I better think of something quick"_ thought Elias.

Eventually Elias' captor returned & once again had his way with him. Elias was still uncomfortable with it but he knew that he had to comply in order to avoid potential death. When Elias went to sleep that night his captor didn't bother locking the door of his room.

" _Maybe I've gained his trust. He probably thinks I'm not going to try anything to escape & that I'm completely vulnerable. I need to make sure I find an opportunity to escape & make the most of it"_ thought Elias as he fell asleep.

The media attention that the case had received was enormous. It was the biggest story around the entire world at that point in time. Every single news network across the world was reporting on it. There were a lot of interviews that were held with Mayor Goodway, The PAW Patrol & even Elias' family. That night they were interviewed by CNN.

"So how has your son's disappearance affected you since he vanished?" asked the reporter.

"It's affected us a lot. Not a second goes by where we don't think about him" said Ella.

"Do you think he's watching this right now?" asked the reporter.

"Hopefully yes. If he was watching right now I would be hoping that he would pick up a phone & call us to let us know he's alright" said Ethan.

"If you could say anything to him right now what would you say & why?" asked the reporter.

"Please Elias come home. We're ready for you to come back. Please be OK. We love you & we just want to see you again. Whoever has him in their custody please bring him back. He hasn't done anything to deserve this. Please we're begging you" said Ella.

"Elias we aren't ever giving up on you. We're going to keep looking for you even if it takes the rest of our lives to do so. You're the most important part of our lives & our family isn't complete without you. We know you're out there somewhere & we pray that you'll come home soon. We love you" said Ethan.

After several more questions Ella & Ethan decided to end the interview as they were too overwhelmed with grief. As they went to bed that night they prayed that Elias was OK & that he would return soon. They went to bed thinking about Elias & having a vision of their family being reunited.


	4. Chapter 4:In The Woods

Saturday morning seemed to come slower than some people were expecting. The pups were once again deployed as soon as they got up. Unlike the last few days Ryder actually went out looking since there was no school. Angel, Ella & Ethan were continuing their appeals on TV & radio for Elias to return safely home. Although the rest of the town tried to help in any way they could they were beginning to lose hope at any chance of Elias still being alive. It had been more than 48 hours since he disappeared & most children who went missing usually turned up dead after the 1ST 48 hours. Angel, Ella & Ethan had also gotten in contact with the families & friends of the 12 other kids who had disappeared. Although it was easy for them to talk about something they shared in common it didn't help any of them feel much better. Rocky had gone out to Foggy Bottom to see if Mayor Humdinger or any other residents there had seen or heard from Elias. Unfortunately there hadn't been any sightings of Elias anywhere in town. Rocky still searched the whole town anyways but came up empty.

" _This is bad. We may be out of time to save Elias. By now missing children are usually already dead. I hope that's not the case but that's likely what has happened"_ thought Rocky.

Rubble had gone to Farmer Al & Yumi's farm to see if they had seen Elias. Unfortunately they hadn't seen him either. Rubble checked the farm land all over but still found nothing.

" _We're running out of places to look. There's almost nowhere else near town to search that we haven't already checked. I just hope we find Elias alive. I would hate to find him dead. I wouldn't be able to handle it"_ thought Rubble.

In the secluded house Elias had once again been left alone. After having a shower & getting something to eat he watched some movies on the DVD player in the lounge. Since he didn't have much else to do he just watched movies most of the day. At 1 point Elias decided to go outside without going too far just to see exactly where he was. Elias opened the front door & walked onto the porch. The house appeared to be positioned in a clearing in the middle of the woods. Walking off the porch Elias walked a few steps away from the house making sure not to go too far so that the bomb collar wouldn't detonate. Elias walked in a big circle around the house & found that every possible entrance for light had been blocked with wood. This gave off the impression that the house had been seemingly abandoned. Other than the house there wasn't anything else in the clearing. The only way off the property was a gravel driveway that likely led towards a road. Since it was too far away to walk down with the bomb collar on his neck Elias decided not to see where it led too.

" _Surely that driveway has to lead to a road. Even if it does I don't know exactly where I am & I don't know how far away the nearest town from here is. If & when I escape it might take me a long time to find someone who can help me. I just hope that I can find a way out of this situation soon. I probably don't have that much time left to escape & I don't know how long this guy plans to keep me here. Those other 12 kids that have gone missing probably got brought here too & they're all probably dead by now. I can't let him kill me. I have to start thinking of a way to escape"_ thought Elias.

After getting a decent look around at the surroundings Elias went back inside & continued to watch movies. Eventually his kidnapper returned & had his way with Elias once again. Elias spent the rest of the night trying to think of an escape plan but he came up short with ideas. Back in Adventure Bay Ryder & the PAW Patrol were still looking around for any clues that would help them find Elias. In the end they were no closer to Elias than they were that morning. Ryder was incredibly frustrated. He just wanted something to happen that would help with the search for Elias. As he went to bed that night he thought about how much of a chance there was of Elias still being alive.

" _I'm sure there's a chance that Elias is still alive. There's no way he could possibly be dead. He's out there somewhere. We just have to find out where. I'm never giving up on him even if I have to spend the rest of my life looking for him"_ thought Ryder as he fell asleep.


	5. Chapter 5: Making A Plan

It was now Sunday. By this point only Angel, Ella, Ethan & Ryder believed that Elias was still alive. Everyone else had lost hope. They all thought that Elias was likely already dead by this point & that the search & rescue was turning into more of a body search. Despite this the pups still continued their search. Ryder had travelled to various different towns in the last several days for any information but not 1 person in any of these towns was able to provide anything useful that would lead to Elias' whereabouts. Today Ryder had travelled to several towns both in & out of the state hoping that eventually he would find something that could help him locate Elias. Despite what everyone else was saying Ryder wasn't agreeing with their conclusion that Elias was dead. He told himself repeatedly that Elias was still alive until it was proven that he was dead. Everyone in town admired Ryder's dedication to his best friend but most of them still felt that he was in denial about Elias & that he just didn't want to accept the possibility that Elias was gone forever.

" _I don't care what anyone else says. Elias can't possibly be dead. I'm only going to believe he is if they prove it. I'm going to go the ends of the earth & back to find him. I would do anything just to see him again. Even if I don't see him until my last moments I just want him back in my life again. I don't want to live the rest of my life without knowing what happened to him. The uncertainty of his fate would drive me absolutely crazy. He's 1 of the best people I've ever met & when I see him again I'm going to give him the biggest hug I've ever given anyone & hope that the moment lasts forever. I don't think I can cope without him. I know you're out there somewhere Elias. I can feel it. I'm going to stand by you no matter what. I'm not going to stop searching for you ever. I promise you that right now. I'm going to make sure that I keep that promise"_ thought Ryder.

Skye had searched through the air over different areas in & around Adventure Bay. Every day she would check a different location. The last few days searching for Elias brought nothing. Although she wanted Elias to be OK she knew that it wasn't 100% certain that he was still alive. She didn't want to think about what could've happened to Elias if he died & she didn't want to imagine living without him but these thoughts still crossed her mind from time to time & she wondered if Elias would ever be found.

" _Even if he's already dead I just hope that he didn't suffer. I hope that his death was quick & painless if that is what happened to him of course. I think it would be worse if we never found him rather than finding him dead. If we never found him we would never know what truly happened to him whereas if we found him dead at least we would be able to find out what really happened to him. It wouldn't be easy to digest the truth but at least we would know that we found him & that he's gone to a better place. I'm still hoping for the best but I'm expecting the worst at the same time"_ thought Skye.

In the house in the woods Elias was once again alone. He did the usual routine of having a shower, getting something to eat & watching movies on the DVD player. Until this point he hadn't thought of a way to escape.

" _I really need to think of a way to get out of here. I know I don't have much more time. I know that I need to get the key from my kidnapper to get rid of this bomb collar but he keeps it on his person 24/7. It would be impossible to get the key during the day time. I'd never succeed if he had a chance to fend me off. Wait I've got it. Maybe if I wait until he's asleep then I can steal the key from him, take the bomb collar off, get out of here & find my way to the nearest town & get help. Before I do that though I need to plan every detail with precision. Things will end up much worse if anything goes wrong. Even the smallest mistake can have big consequences. Tomorrow I'll practice my escape & then the day after if I'm still alive by then I can get out of here. Hopefully this plan works. It could be the only chance I get to escape with my life. I don't want to die this young. I can't let everyone at home down. I have to be strong & prepare myself. This is likely my only chance to make any sort of plans to help me escape. Hopefully once I do escape my kidnapper will be brought to justice for what he has done to me & those other 12 kids"_ thought Elias.

Once the man returned he had his way with Elias again & things just went as normal for the rest of the night. Back in Adventure Bay almost everyone had decided to stop the search. Only Angel, Ella, Ethan & the PAW Patrol were still looking. Ella & Ethan were still continuing their appeals on radio & TV. It was becoming agonising with every passing second without any information regarding Elias. Everyone went to bed that night hoping for the best but expecting the worst. Back at the secluded house as Elias was drifting off to sleep he thought about his plan of escape.

" _Tomorrow I start my plan of escape. Hopefully it won't be too difficult to pull it off. If everything goes down the way I hope it does I'll be out of here no later than Tuesday. I just hope I'm still alive by then. I don't know how long this guy plans to keep me alive but I know that I have to get out of here as soon as possible. I pray that this whole ordeal has a happy ending"_ thought Elias as he fell asleep.


	6. Chapter 6: Practicing for Freedom

It was now Monday. By now almost all hope was lost for Elias. Only his family & Ryder still had hope that he was OK. The rest of the town had come to the conclusion that Elias was long gone & that now people were simply just searching for a body. At school that morning in Homeroom things got extremely tense.

"OK everyone I know that it's been hard for all of you to accept but Elias is likely dead by now. It's been almost a week since he disappeared & there haven't been any signs of him anywhere. We should always remember him from the good times. I know he's in a better place & he would want us all to know how much we meant to him. He definitely meant a lot to us & he'll always be in our memories" said Miss Spearwood.

"How can you say that? How can you just give up on him? Just because we haven't found him doesn't mean he's dead you know" said Ryder.

"Ryder what are you expecting to happen? Do you think Elias is just going to walk through that door any minute now & everything is going to go back to normal? You're just in denial. Eventually you'll come to accept the truth" said Ace.

"She's right. We may never find out what happened to him. We might as well just accept the fact that he's gone & that there isn't anything else we can do" said Carlos.

"We all miss him but unfortunately there isn't anything that has led us to him. We need to just move on & accept what happened" said Danny.

"I'm sure in his final moments he thought about how much good times he had with us & that he wouldn't change any of it. We should just cherish the time we've had with him & remember him for who he was" said Katie.

"HE'S NOT DEAD. THERE'S NO PROOF THAT HE'S DEAD. I'M SICK OF HEARING HOW HE'S GONE. WE DON'T KNOW THAT. FOR ALL WE KNOW HE'S PROBABLY STILL ALIVE. HE WOULD NEVER GIVE UP ON ANY OF YOU & I'M NEVER GOING TO GIVE UP ON HIM EITHER. YOU GUYS ARE TAKING THE EASY WAY OUT BY COMING TO THIS CONCLUSION. I'M CONTINUING THE SEARCH UNTIL WE FIND HIM NO MATTER WHAT. YOU MAY THINK HE'S GONE BUT I DON'T. HE'S MY BEST FRIEND & I LOVE HIM LIKE THAT. I DON'T WANT TO HEAR ANY MORE CLAIMS THAT HE'S DEAD. I'M NOT PUTTING UP WITH THIS. I BELIEVE IN HIM & THAT'S ALL THAT MATTERS" yelled Ryder as he stormed out of class. Everyone was devastated to see Ryder so upset. Elias meant so much to him & they could see that he was staring to crack. Ryder locked himself in the restrooms & cried for a long time. He just wanted to see Elias again safe & well.

" _I can't believe that everyone else has lost hope. It's like Elias means nothing to them. They can think what they want but in the end I'm sticking by my beliefs until the very end. Nothing is going to change my mind"_ thought Ryder.

Tracker had searched through the jungle to see if Elias had been trapped in any temples or other ancient ruins. Usually Carlos would accompany him but since it was a school day he was alone. Despite his efforts he couldn't find a trace of Elias anywhere nearby.

" _I doubt he's here in the jungle. I would've found some trace of him somewhere. It's strange because things like this are my expertise but yet I'm not finding anything. I'm beginning to wonder if there's any chance I'll ever see him again"_ thought Tracker.

Zuma had searched the bay area & its surroundings. He had asked Captain Turbot, Francois & Nikita if they had seen Elias. None of them had. Even Wally & Walinda hadn't seen Elias. Zuma dived down under the water to see if there was anything in the depths that belonged to Elias but he found nothing.

" _It doesn't appear that he's been dumped in the water. I don't think he's anywhere near here. I don't even think he's still alive. Nobody wants to accept the fact that Elias is probably dead but right now it seems that that's the only possible theory regarding his disappearance. Ryder is really determined to find Elias & I can respect that but I think he's in denial about all this. I'm sure he'll eventually come to terms with Elias' fate"_ thought Zuma.

In the house in the woods Elias had once again been left alone. As soon as he was sure that his kidnapper was gone he began to plan the 1ST phase of his escape. It involved sneaking into his kidnapper's room, stealing the key, removing the bomb collar & finding the nearest town to get help. When Elias entered his kidnapper's room he found that there were booby traps everywhere.

" _Of course. He must've figured that there was a chance for something like this to happen. I can't abandon this plan though. It may be my only chance of escape. I just need to find a way to safely traverse through the room & memorize the traps in order so that when I do escape I won't have any trouble"_ thought Elias.

There were various different kinds of traps scattered throughout the room. There were bear traps, mouse traps, tripwires, lasers & all kinds of other things. Elias spent most of the day practicing his manoeuvres through the room. At 1 point he thought about finding anything that could help him identify his kidnapper which would make it easier to bring him to justice. Inside the drawers next to the bed he found various different ID forms such as a driver's license, passport & birth certificate. Elias finally knew the name of his captor: Aaron Zandresky.

" _So his name is Aaron Zandresky. This will be useful information for the police. I need to make sure that I don't leave anything that could let Aaron know that I've been in here. Otherwise I'm done for for sure"_ thought Elias.

Elias made sure to leave everything the way it was in Aaron's room before he entered. After he was satisfied with the manoeuvres he had practiced he left Aaron's room & spent the rest of the day watching movies. When Aaron returned he had his way with Elias yet again. Elias hoped it would be the last time Aaron would ever violate him.

Back in Adventure Bay Ryder was still upset. He felt like everyone was letting him down with their beliefs that Elias was dead. At lunch things got heated again. It resulted in Ryder locking himself in the bathrooms for the rest of the school day. When everyone went home that day Ryder stayed very quiet. When he got back to the Lookout he spent most of the afternoon lying on his bed thinking about Elias. When the pups returned that night having found nothing they noticed Ryder's mood was different. All of them were concerned for him but they didn't know what to do. All of them went to bed that night wondering how they could make things better. Angel, Ella & Ethan were still appealing on radio & TV for Elias' return. Unfortunately these appeals weren't really going anywhere. Ella & Ethan went to bed that night thinking about Elias & how they hoped he would be alright. In the secluded house Elias decided to stay up all night so that he would have a better chance of escaping.

" _I'll wait until early next morning before I make my escape. It'll be easier for me to see where I'm going. I hope Aaron enjoys his slumber tonight as it'll probably be the last 1 he'll ever have outside prison"_ thought Elias as he waited patiently for his opportunity to escape.


	7. Chapter 7: The Ordeal Ends

The sun rose on Tuesday morning. Elias had stayed up all night waiting until the sun was out so that he could put his escape plan into motion. He regularly opened the front door to see outside & determine whether or not it was a good idea to leave. Eventually it was clear enough for him to see where he could go. As soon as he closed the door he quietly crept into the kitchen & retrieved a pair of scissors from the drawers. Then he quietly crept into Aaron's room & manoeuvred through all the traps. Aaron had the key hanging around his neck on the same lace it had always been threaded on. The sound of snoring confirmed that Aaron was still asleep. Elias cut the lace right near where the key was & slipped it off. Then he quietly crept out of Aaron's room making sure not to set off any traps or wake up Aaron. After quietly closing the door to the room Elias used the key to take the bomb collar off his neck. After doing so he left the collar on the floor in the hallway right by the front door hoping that when Aaron finally woke up he would see that Elias had escaped. Elias then opened the front door & walked outside. He began to walk down the gravel driveway leading away from the property. The driveway was filled with bends & turns. This made it easy to avoid being seen from the house. As Elias was walking along he suddenly heard the sound of gunshots behind him.

"I KNOW YOU'RE OUT THERE SOMEWHERE YOU LITTLE BRAT. WHEN I FIND YOU I'M GOING TO BLOW YOUR HEAD TO SMITHEREENS" yelled Aaron.

Elias turned his head & gasped before he started to run. He wasn't expecting Aaron to wake up so early. He was now forced to run for his life. As he ran he prayed that Aaron wouldn't find him. Eventually Elias came to a road with a sign. On the left side of the sign it said:

"Woodland Grove 5M"

Seeing as it was the nearest town to his current location Elias turned left & ran down the road praying that Aaron wasn't right behind him. It only took half an hour to get to Woodland Grove but to Elias it felt like an eternity. He was surprised that Aaron hadn't found him. He assumed that Aaron had thought that he had hidden in the woods & that that's where Aaron expected to find him. As Elias ran through Woodland Grove numerous people watched him. It didn't appear that anyone initially recognised him though as nobody did or said anything. Eventually Elias found the police station & went inside. He made it halfway across the lobby before he collapsed on the floor from exhaustion. The woman sitting at the front desk came out & assisted Elias to a chair. Elias was gasping for air & was out of breath. The woman got a drink of water for Elias. After catching his breath Elias explained his situation.

"You have to help me. He's coming after me" said Elias.

"Who is?" asked the woman.

"Aaron Zandresky. He kidnapped me about a week ago & held me in this house 5 miles down the road in the middle of the woods. He put a bomb collar around my neck to prevent me from escaping & he sexually abused me at least once every day. I only just escaped no more than an hour ago. My name is Elias Vincent. I live in Adventure Bay" said Elias.

"OK Elias don't worry you're safe now. I just need to get another officer to record your official statement & then we can take action" said the woman.

"Thank you" said Elias.

Moments later Elias was taken into an interview room where a male police officer was waiting. Elias told him everything that had happened over the last week. After he had finished telling his story the officer excused himself from his room. Elias checked his phone & saw that he now had signal. Seizing the opportunity he called Ryder. Ryder had only just woken up & was finishing his breakfast when the call came through.

"Hello" said Ryder.

"Ryder it's me Elias" said Elias.

"OH MY GOD ELIAS YOU'RE ALRIGHT" yelled Ryder.

"Yes I am. I'm at the police station in Woodland Grove. I've told them everything that happened. They've just taken my official statement & I think they're about to go out & get the guy who abducted me" said Elias.

"I can't believe this. Other than me & your family everyone in town thought you were dead. They're all going to be so happy to see you again. This is amazing" said Ryder.

"It certainly is. I don't have long to talk. Tell Angel, my parents & everyone else in town that I'm OK & that I'll hopefully be back sometime later today" said Elias.

"Sure thing. See you later" said Ryder.

"Bye" said Elias.

As soon as the call ended Ryder dropped to his knees & began crying. He couldn't believe that Elias was alright. After he composed himself he summoned the pups. When he told them about Elias & showed then the recording of the call all of the pups were excited. They were in disbelief at how Elias had escaped. Ryder immediately called Angel, Ella & Ethan & told them about Elias. Ella & Ethan held each other as they cried tears of joy & Angel was jumping around in happiness. They were so glad to hear that Elias was alright & that he would be home soon. At school that morning Ryder told everyone about Elias as well. All of them were surprised. Not 1 person could've thought that Elias was still alive after almost a week of absence. Word got around town very quickly & everyone began preparing for Elias' return. Back in Woodland Grove Elias & the police had completed Elias' official statement & prepared to return to the property to arrest Aaron. Elias was nervous about this but he knew that it had to happen. Elias also suggested trying to see if the other 12 kids that went missing had also been hidden away nearby. As they were driving along the road they eventually saw Aaron walking in the other direction with a shotgun in his hand.

"THAT'S HIM RIGHT THERE" yelled Elias.

In a matter of minutes Aaron was subdued & taken into custody. Elias & the police continued to the house where they began searching for the other kids. Eventually the cadaver dogs picked up a strong scent that led everyone to an area in the woods that couldn't be seen from the house. It was there that a gruesome discovery was made.

"Oh my god it's them isn't it?" asked Elias.

"It appears that way" said 1 of the officers.

12 bodies had been found. It became obvious that the bodies belonged to the other 12 kids who had disappeared over the course of the last 3 months. Each of them had holes in their heads. It was determined that they had all been killed from a single shot to the head from a shotgun & that all of them died instantly. The youngest victim was a 6 year old boy & the oldest victim was a 17 year old girl. The sight of the corpses made Elias feel sick. He ran off to another area where he vomited. Out of all the kids who went missing he was the only survivor. After the bodies had been found Aaron confessed to their murders. He also admitted that he had sexually abused all of them & used the same bomb collar to prevent them from escaping. Aaron Zandresky was subsequently charged with 13 counts of abduction, 84 counts of child molestation & 12 counts of 1ST degree murder. This meant he faced the death penalty if convicted. Aaron was taken back to Woodland Grove police station where he was detained. Elias & the corpses were taken to the hospital. Elias spent a few hours there while doctors & nurses administered health checks on him to see if he had received any STDs from the sexual abuse. Luckily the tests came back negative. The bodies of the 12 other kids were cleaned up & transported to a morgue for their families to identify. Elias couldn't imagine the anguish of the kids' families when they found out what had happened to them. After Elias was cleared to leave he asked if he could get something to eat since he hadn't eaten anything since the previous night. He was taken to a fast food restaurant & ordered a meal there before a police officer began to escort him home.

"I can't believe I'm finally going home. Everyone is going to be so happy to see me" said Elias.

"They sure will be. You're a very brave young boy you are. Most people never survive on their own in cases like that. Not even a child escapes on their own in these kinds of circumstances. You're very lucky. Thanks to you the whole world will know what happened to you & those other kids & the man responsible will finally be brought to justice" said the police officer.

"I hope he gets the death penalty for what he did. He deserves it" said Elias.

"I couldn't agree more on that. That's the punishment I think he'll get for his sick crimes" said the police officer.

Back in Adventure Bay everyone had convened by town hall to wait for Elias to come home. At 4:00 PM Elias & the police officer arrived at the front of town hall. Everyone started cheering & clapping. As Elias stepped out of the car he could see Angel & his parents in front of him by the steps of town hall.

"ELIAS" cried Angel, Ella & Ethan.

"MOM, DAD, ANGEL" cried Elias as he ran over to them. They all shared a group hug before Elias was taken to where Mayor Goodway was standing.

"As mayor of Adventure Bay it gives me great pleasure to officially announce that Elias Vincent has been safely returned home. Welcome back Elias" said Mayor Goodway.

Elias then addressed the town. He told everyone about all of the things that happened to him over the course of the last week. When he mentioned the sexual abuse everyone in town gasped. They were all shocked that a child had been exposed to such abuse. Elias also revealed that the other 12 kids had all been found dead from gunshot wounds to their heads. He even revealed Aaron's identity to everyone. Elias fought back tears as he spoke about how good it was to be back home again & that justice would soon be served to Aaron for what he had done. After he had finished addressing the crowd Mayor Goodway adjourned the meeting. Elias & his family went straight home.

"It's good to see you back Elias. We were beginning to think we would never see you again" said Angel.

"We never gave up hope. We knew you were still alive & that you would return. I hope nothing like this ever happens again" said Ella.

"When you went missing I thought things would go horribly wrong. Now that you're back we can rest easy knowing that your kidnapper is no longer terrorising children" said Ethan.

"Well it's good to be back. Now we're 1 big happy family again & we're all back together. This is the best day of my life. I just hope things can go back to normal now" said Elias.

Ella & Ethan decided to go out for dinner to celebrate Elias' return. Their meal ended up being on the house. After returning home everyone watched TV before Elias took a shower & prepared for bed. Angel asked if she could sleep in Elias' room that night to which Elias obliged. As Elias lay in bed he thought about the events of the last week.

" _This last week has been crazy. I can't believe I'm still alive & that I'm back home again. I hope Aaron burns in hell for his crimes. He's a psychopathic sadist who deserves to rot away to nothing. If he ever gets executed for what he did I hope I'm there to see it. Watching him die would fill me with satisfaction. How dare he violate me & 12 others & kill all of us but me. I know he'll get what he deserves. For now I just hope things will get better from here"_ thought Elias as he drifted off to sleep.

 **THE END**


End file.
